A multi-disciplinary framework for cyber attribution

Effective Cyber security is critical to the prosperity of any nation in the modern world. We have become dependant upon this interconnected network of systems for a number of critical functions within society. As our reliance upon this technology has increased, as has the prospective gains for malicious actors who would abuse these systems for their own personal benefit, at the cost of legitimate users. The result has been an explosion of cyber attacks, or cyber enabled crimes. The threat from hackers, organised criminals and even nations states is ever increasing. One of the critical enablers to our cyber security is that of cyber attribution, the ability to tell who is acting against our systems. A purely technical approach to cyber attribution has been found to be ineffective in the majority of cases, taking too narrow approach to the attribution problem. A purely technical approach will provide Indicators Of Compromise (IOC) which is suitable for the immediate recovery and clean up of a cyber event. It fails however to ask the deeper questions of the origin of the attack. This can be derived from a wider set of analysis and additional sources of data. Unfortunately due to the wide range of data types and highly specialist skills required to perform the deep level analysis there is currently no common framework for analysts to work together towards resolving the attribution problem. This is further exasperated by a communication barrier between the highly specialised fields and no obviously compatible data types. The aim of the project is to develop a common framework upon which experts from a number of disciplines can add to the overall attribution picture. These experts will add their input in the form of a library. Firstly a process was developed to enable the creation of compatible libraries in different specialist fields. A series of libraries can be used by an analyst to create an overarching attribution picture. The framework will highlight any intelligence gaps and additionally an analyst can use the list of libraries to suggest a tool or method to fill that intelligence gap. By the end of the project a working framework had been developed with a number of libraries from a wide range of technical attribution disciplines. These libraries were used to feed in real time intelligence to both technical and nontechnical analysts who were then able to use this information to perform in depth attribution analysis. The pictorial format of the framework was found to assist in the breaking down of the communication barrier between disciplines and was suitable as an intelligence product in its own right, providing a useful visual aid to briefings. The simplicity of the library based system meant that the process was easy to learn with only a short introduction to the framework required

Constitutional Change In The Circumpolar Periphery: A Comparative Case Study

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005This dissertation probes the origins of intercultural conflict and regional disparity in the circumpolar North. The dissertation asserts that the national governments of Denmark, the United States and Canada have utilized policies of internal colonialism in Alaska, Greenland and the Yukon Territory, and that those policies have shaped inter-cultural relations and contributed to regional disparities in their northern jurisdictions. Michael Hecther's and Dale Johnson's definitions of internal colonialism are utilized for the purposes of this study. The dissertation uses a comparative case study approach, reviewing how national government policies evolved and were applied in Alaska, Yukon and Greenland. It treats Alaska and the Yukon as similar cases, while Greenland is examined in a separate chapter as a dissimilar case. The dissertation provides an historical analysis and comparison of national policies towards aboriginal peoples, and shows how those policies were applied differently in Alaska and the Yukon than they were in the southern United States and Canada. These policies exacerbated conflict between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal populations due to the cultural division of labor that was created. The dissertation then examines the impact of federal policies on the economic development of Alaska and the Yukon. Thirdly, the dissertation examines the history of constitutional change, and compares the struggle for Alaska statehood with efforts to achieve provincial status for the Yukon. The dissertation concludes that policies of internal colonialism have been detrimental to the social and economic well-being northern peoples, but that responses to these policies have generated creative new approaches and agreements

The Importance of Transport in Business’ Location Decisions -Scoping Study (Final Report)

The aim of this project was to review current literature of issues considered by businesses in choosing where they locate / relocate and in particular, the significance and importance to which transport is a factor within that decision-making process. The review pulled together the evidence already available about the factors which influence these decisions, the extent to which transport is a consideration within these decisions and the impacts of these decisions on the travel patterns of customers and staff, as well as operational considerations. From this review, the current evidence base was mapped out, identifying and prioritising the needs for future research in this area. This scoping study was needed to consolidate the level of understanding of the impact of transport in businesses' locational decision-making processes and to assist the Department in developing meaningful, evidence-based areas for future research, minimising the burden of research surveys on business respondents

Failure to infect laboratory rodent hosts with human isolates of Rodentolepis(= Hymenolepis) nana

Confusion exists over the species status and host-specificity of the tapeworm Rodentolepis (= Hymenolepis) nana. It has been described as one species, R. nana, found in both humans and rodents. Others have identified a subspecies; R. nana var. fraterna, describing it as morphologically identical to the human form but only found in rodents. The species present in Australian communities has never been identified with certainty. Fifty one human isolates of Rodentolepis (= Hymenolepis) nana were orally inoculated into Swiss Q, BALB/c, A/J, CBA/CAH and nude (hypothymic) BALB/c mice, Fischer 344 and Wistar rats and specific pathogen free (SPF) hamsters. Twenty four human isolates of R. nana were cross-tested in flour beetles, Tribolium confusum. No adult worms were obtained from mice, rats or hamsters, even when immunosuppressed with cortisone acetate. Only one of the 24 samples developed to the cysticercoid stage in T. confusum; however, when inoculated into laboratory mice the cysticercoids failed to develop into adult worms. The large sample size used in this study, and the range of techniques employed for extraction and preparation of eggs provide a comprehensive test of the hypothesis that the human strain of R. nana is essentially non-infective to rodents